The key business succession topics

Three routes dominate business succession — external succession is now almost as common as succession within the family.

• FBO — Family Buy-out

  within the family
  41%
• MBI — Management Buy-in

  external succession (including sales to third parties)
  40%
• MBO — Management Buy-out

  existing management / employees
  19%

Source: Dun & Bradstreet, “KMU Nachfolge Schweiz 2022”; corroborated by Credit Suisse / CFB-HSG (2013). Here, MBI includes all sales to external individuals and legal entities.

Planning early gives you the greatest room to manoeuvre. An unexpected absence, by contrast, can occur without warning.

• FBO — within the family6.6 years
• MBO — internal3.3 years
• MBI — external1.6 years

Source: Average duration from first contact to handover: Dun & Bradstreet, “KMU Nachfolge Schweiz 2022”. Recommended planning lead time: practical recommendation (up to 15 years in exceptional cases).